Kenyon to host free Patchwork concert

The eclectic and the cutting edge will converge on Friday, April 1, when saxophone-and-drums duo Patchwork takes the stage of Rosse Hall, 105 College Dr., at Kenyon College for a free concert at 8 p.m.

Comprised of internationally-recognized saxophonist Noa Even and percussionist Stephen Klunk, Patchwork has been performing across the country for three years, in major cities and at the North American Saxophone Alliance Biennial Conference at the University of Illinois and the New Music Festival at Bowling Green State University.

Ross Feller, assistant professor of music at Kenyon, took an interest in the group in part due to its work with contemporary compositions. “They’re doing a program of entirely new music,” he said. “I think the oldest piece is seven or eight years old. That’s very unusual, that you would have an ensemble that’s devoted to the latest hot-off-the-presses, the-ink’s-still-wet-on-the-page type of work.”

The group routinely collaborates with composers to commission new music that works within their minimalistic instrumentation. Patchwork’s commissions include Eric Wubbels, Jonn Sokol, Dan Tramte, Ruby Fulton, Jon Fielder, Max Grafe, Jason Charney, Nick Didkovsky, and Monte Weber. They have also presented their music to college composition classes and performed student works.

The pair plans to hold a lecture in Brandi Recital Hall in Storer Hall, also at 105 College Dr., on Friday at 7 p.m. — an hour before their performance. Free and open to the public, the presentation will detail their creative processes and the ways in which they collaborate with composers.

According to Feller, what’s most striking about Patchwork’s presence on stage is how they work to subvert the expectations an audience might have about what a smaller ensemble can do. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they take advantage of the fact that they’re a pared-down ensemble to really hone in with a very focused approach to performing pure sound,” Feller said.

Patchwork comes to Kenyon as part of the Warner Concert Series. To learn more about the concert, call 740-427-5197.